(Memphis) An unidentified off-duty Memphis police officer is caught on camera repeatedly hitting a man in the middle of Oak Court Mall, prompting many to record the physical arrest on their cell phones in shock.

According to a police affidavit, the officer was working for the mall and not for the city.

In the video, Stedmon Fentress, backs away from an off Duty MPD Officer. He’s shown trying to dodge mace as he curses at the policeman.

“Get down when I tell you,” shouted out the officer.

The officer whips out his baton. Fentress tells him he’s leaving

“You ain’t fitting to roll nowhere,” replied the officer.

“The officer took his radio off his hip and threw it on the ground so he could be ready to fight,” said a witness who didn’t want to be identified. The witness recorded the arrest on his cell phone and sent it to News Channel 3.

The video then shows the officer repeatedly hits Fentress while he is on the ground covering his eyes.

“I think he took too harsh of an action too fast,” said the witness.

The scene unfolded Saturday evening at Oak Court Mall.

“Every time he got ready to hit him with the baton he maced him, I guess so he couldn’t fight back. Everybody was stick to their stomach,” said the witness.

There’s no video showing what led up to the encounter. But witnesses and a police arrest record say the officer was breaking up a verbal argument between Fentress and another man. Witnesses say Fentress rode down the escalator but not before he turned around and said something to the officer.

“I don’t know if he had a smart comment or he threatened him I don’t know what happened,” said the witness.

Whatever it was, “the guy had his back to the officer and the officer pushed him twice,” said the officer.

News Channel 3 sent the video to police who say at this time they can’t comment. The police arrest record says Fentress was hostile and refused to obey the officer. He’s now charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

“I didn’t think the guy was a threat,” said the witness.

Police records don’t mention the officer hitting Fentress even though we see it in the video. But it does say the officer maced the 21-year-old out of safety concerns. Witnesses believe the officer’s actions were excessive and not safe.

“There were little kids walking by, he was just spraying the mace so freely,” said the witness.

News Channel 3 looked up Fentress’ record and discovered he has been arrested in the past for aggravated assault, aggravated burglary and resisting arrest. News Channel 3 stopped by his address listed on the arrest report, but we are told he no longer lives there. We are still waiting to hear back from Oak Court Mall about the incident.

88 comments

MayorMcCheese

dave

It is funny to me how many feel about the police. Some are bad like every profession, but I wish the police would leave this city for a month and let most of you know what it would really be like without them. Oh but most of the people that dont like the police are the thugs.

MayorMcCheese

I had to come back and say this. @Victor, you are right. That is the very reason Memphis has a nasty case of the S.A.M.s when it comes to men. You have these silly women here in this town who help, coddle, and enable these grown men who have no other talent but being brutal. These ignoramuses then go on to breed and make copies of themselves, thus making the problem worse in this valley of heathens called Memphis. I hate to agree with you, but I do.

NoMoreForMe

This is precisely why I choose to do all my shopping online. I no longer frequent malls, movie theaters, or early in the morning, restaurants these Darwinian throwbacks might gather in large packs. Too many feral children roaming the streets of this city and not enough zoos to cage them all.

Skeptic

The issues I have is (1) we don’t know what started the problem. (2) Don’t know why the SECURITY GUARD was involved. (3) You can’t hear what is being said by Fentress. (4) What happened BEFORE the video started. The media is so one-sided here and everywhere. Also, if I see a security guard in a MPD uniform, that officer should be on duty. If not on duty, that uniform should be not worn.

rahul

Hard Truths

Thomas H. Evans

I don’t know the last time some of you posting on here last visited the Oak Court Mall, but it is nothing like it once was when I first moved here to this city. I once upon a time would go to the mall on a Saturday morning, get a cup of coffee and piece of pumpkin cake from Star Bucks, sit back and enjoy. Now, the thugs have taken over, and I, like many others, don’t feel safe at that mall any more. I am not a police officer, but completely agree with the way the officer dealt with the situation. The average person today don’t realize how disrespectful our young people are when it come to dealing with people in authority, not just police officer, but teachers, preachers, etc. The person posting on here about what a good boy he is, then where were you when he was resisting arrest in the past. All this kid/thug had to do was do what ever the officer was asking him to do, why does it always have to be the officer that should give in to the thugs on our streets today? To be continued at the Wolfchase Mall!!

NoMoreForMe

Really, Is that all YOU PEOPLE think about, the size of your reproductive organ? By your reasoning, maybe we should all just base our society around that issue. I don’t want the SMARTEST guy in the room to operate on me or my family if they are sick or injured, or design the cars I drive, or actually create things of value. No, let the guy with the biggest Johnson do all of that. LOL! urbanites, don’t you just love em’.

Jon

Memphis police are garbage every other week there is a story on the news robbing someone, breaking into a house, assaulting someone, raping someone, or trying to get ex felons to blow them. That’s why when they pull me over I’m a dick

SickofBS

Why is he consider a thug???, is it because of how he looks, the way he wear his clothes or hair or is it solely because he’s black. One thing about living is we all do something that we are not proud of and the media is so responsible on how Memphis is represented and looked at through out other cities. This police officer was not acting as a sworn office to protect and serve the people, he felt that he was above the law and he acted as a thug in which people are calling the person in the video. Regardless of what was said that office knows how to respond in those kind of situations and he didn’t respond accordingly. Suppose this young man was really a “thug” and this officer approached him and he had a gang of buddies in the mall and they are the kind of “thugs” that don’t have any respect for anyone and started a riot while you and your children where their, should I go on then you would be speaking a different language. Memphis is going to hell in a nut basket!!!!!

That whole neighborhood is ruined…. not just the mall. Go to any restaurant around Poplar and Perkins on a Friday or Saturday night. A bunch a thugs and savages who don’t know how to act in public, have no respect for anyone or themselves, and consistently try to hustle restaurants out of free meals after eating most of it. Memphis is a huge toilet that is stopped up with useless terds and should have been flushed years ago.

y

as a black business man..just another thug..no bags so he is not shopping…just in the mall walking around creating trouble…get the thugs out the malls..putting malls and business owners out of business..
officer did nothing wrong…..

Daddy

Shannon

Crazy_place

He should learn some respect for officers and not run his mouth. I hope it teaches more of the thugs around Memphis that this can happen if they show disrespect. I hope they pat the officer on the back.

R

No Joe you are the reason that Memphis is like it is; It appeared to me that he was trying to go about his business…but my view is different from yours; you probably are good God fearing christian that believes in constitution without any amendments and fyi I don’t live in Memphis I live in Cordova and I’m probably your neighbor…